The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1887-06-17
has him at a disadvantage. "But she

has him at disadvantage. "But she
shall not blush unseen if my pictures
in this years exhibition bring their
price She shall be my wife-always
supposing that she considers me wor-
thy OF the treasure.trove OF her love.
/ will wear her like flower on my
heart. / think-yes, l think she likes
me little now. am quite sure that
ii had the chance could make her
like me Just a little more"
And SO now ard then he ventured
to write to her, lest by any chance she
might forget that such person ex-
listed.
Now in real life things will some
times happen as strangely as they do
in novels. And it came to pass that
in the mid-April time, when the skies
above and yiolets below are blue with
q blueness that no description can
equal, Docia Honeywell came up to
New York to bay herself silk dress,
and asked Roxanna Stephens to ac-
company her.
"Inever like to trust entirely to my
own TASTE" said Docia; "and you
have such excellent ideas of color,
Roxy"
When the dress was duly settled up.
on-one CT those delicious olives which,
like the hair OF the poets heroine, was
Brown in the shadow, and gold in the
sum
to spare before the train went.
"Oh, do let us go to the Academy OF
Designl" said Rovy; sit can't be far.
And think it would rest my eyes to
look at some pictures.
1t was fine sunshiny, breezy after.
noon, and all the world was out. Roxy
came slowly up the broad marble
steps, looking around at the giant
palms, and Observation-Disclosures, and
the monster camellia-trees, whose
dark green foliage shone MS if it had
been vanished. Beyond glowed the
pictures, outlined in gold. full OF vivid
lights and deep mysterious shadows.
A little crowd had collected before
one particular canvas, and following
the usual impulse OF human nature,
Docia and Roxy left the other pictures
possibly possessed of equal merit
unsurveyed, and joined the fluttering,
perfumed knot of gazers.
"The picture OF the season." she
heard some one saying in soft, dis
tinct tones that denote your society
oracle; "La Jolie Blanchisseuse.'
Would you believe that that little
square OF canvas has been sold for q
Thousand dollars2 It's a charmingly
painted thing-oh, OF course-but,
after ali, what is there to it?"
at Is the sentiment, the tonel' an.
swered q wise critic who was penciline
down notes for an art paragraph in
the next days Sphinx. "In this age Of
the world nobody can tell what'sgoine
to succeed and what isn't. The pub.
lie pulse don't bear feeling as it used"
Little Roxy, in her plain brown
gown and the poke hat OF rough-and.
ready straw, with the loops OF cherry
ribbon which she herself had Gown on,
stood on tip-toe to peep over the
shoulder OF the tall lady In front Of
her at the picture.
"Ah, Docia" she cried, starting
back, as she caught glimpse of it,
with the strange sensation OF one who
looks into mirror, "I--I have seen
that before"
In the foreground crystal, clear
brook gurgled away under a fringe o,
luxuriant crosses; in the middle dis.
tance there was the green mystery ol
chestnut shadows on the grass, and
young girl asleep with bare white
arms, and sun.bonnet fallen down her
neck, while an open book lay on the
ground, A red.winged blackbird bal.
enced itself on bush at her right, and
in the background a line iull offlutter.
ing clothes seemed to come and go at
the signal OF the wind. One could al
most hear the murmur OF the brook,
almost see the stir OF the tall grasses
in the yellow mist OF the noontids
heats. Is was a very simple picture,
to be sure. but it is the simple picturei
that speak to peoples hearts nova
days.
Docia stared intently. "It looks like
you, Roxy she said, "and that is
low heart that blew down In the equi,
noctial gale last March. Have you
found the number in the cataloguei
Who painted it? All, thought So
Mark Jefferys."
Roxy turned around With q curious
thrill, half OF pride. half anger, in her
heart, and saw a tall figure coming to,
ward them from the monster palms
that guarded the stairway beyond
Mark Jeffery's himself.
"You have seen the picture Roxy?"
he said-"'La Jolie Blanchisseuse'2
Dearest"-drawing her away from the
crowd into the cool green shadow OIL
the giant ferns and the caoutchout
trees-"my fortune is made, and all
through you, and l was coming to-
morrow to lay it at your feet"
1t was strange place for a young
man to speak out his heart in; but
Mark Jeferys was like no other man
and Roxy had certain individuality
OF her own. And X was then the lover
and y the tender little fluttering maid
en- heart. and what should it equal but
z-the old, old story OF human happi
ness, that repeats itself anew for every
generation? Was it not as plain as
any OF the algebraic equations iu
ROyv's books Mt school